Why Marilyn Monroe never understood her sex symbol status: “I’d rather have it sex than some other things”
Born Norma Jeane Mortenson, the star soon crafted an alternative persona to carry her through her acting, modelling, and singing career, calling herself Marilyn Monroe. Once an ordinary girl from Los Angeles, Monroe soon became an American icon after she was photographed in a factory, subsequently given the chance to become a pin-up model.
From there, she was offered an acting contract, and she transformed herself with blonde hair-dye. Her image was distinctive, and as a result, she quickly caught people’s attention. Monroe starred in a few movies during the late 1940s, but it wouldn’t be until the early 1950s that she would become a widely-known figure of American cinema.
From early in her career, Monroe showed a lack of inhibition and would happily appear scantily clad, such as in We’re Not Married, where she sported various bikinis. It soon became apparent that Monroe was a go-to actor for many filmmakers who wanted a beautiful, womanly female character, often emphasising her sexiness, body shape, and flirtatious personality. Monroe was frequently typecast, becoming the dumb blonde or nothing more than a pretty face without much substance.
Yet, Monroe had real talent, as demonstrated by performances in iconic movies like Some Like It Hot and The Seven Year Itch. She was funny and confident on-screen, instantly commanding attention beyond her looks, although many people saw her as nothing more than a sex symbol.
Monroe was constantly objectified, and for most of us, the default image of her that springs to mind at the mention of her name is her in a white dress, the fabric floating up as she attempts to hold it back down and protect her modesty. She is considered the ultimate sex symbol – no other woman has been so consistently defined by their body and appearance. She is constantly objectified, even after death, to the point that many people can hardly name more than a few movies she was in – Monroe was just known as a blonde-haired bombshell.
Yet, Monroe wasn’t always comfortable with being considered a sex symbol, once talking to Life Magazine’s Richard Meryman about her thoughts in a piece called ‘Last Talk With A Lonely Girl: Marilyn Monroe’. She explained: “I never quite understood it, this sex symbol. I always thought symbols were those things you clash together! That’s the trouble, a sex symbol becomes a thing. I just hate to be a thing.” Still, she admitted that “If I’m going to be a symbol of something, I’d rather have it sex than some other things they’ve got symbols of!”
Elsewhere in the interview, Monroe also mentioned that “It’s nice to be included in people’s fantasies, but you also like to be accepted for your own sake. I don’t look at myself as a commodity, but I’m sure a lot of people have.” Monroe just wanted to be acknowledged for her own skills, her hard work and determination, her humour and her kindness.
“Sometimes I’m invited places to kind of brighten up a dinner table like a musician who’ll play the piano after dinner, and I know you’re not really invited for yourself. You’re just an ornament.”
